Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-02-19
A HORRIBLE SCENE.
Many New Bodies Found--The Remains
Burned Beyond Recognition.

'AfD
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, vt. Feb. s. A SAD
spectacle was revealed to the throng Of yisi-
tors who gathered at the scene of the railroad
wreck. Before them, embedded in the melted
ice, acre twisted iron from the four cars
which had gone down to destruction and car
ried death to most Of their occupants. Where
they lay were great pools OF water caused ny
the melting OF the ice by the heat from the
burning ears. The fourth ear from the rear,
or one Of the day coaches, was entirely de-
sttoycd. What little OF it remained was hid
den beneath a little lake Of water upon the
surface Of which aoated embers Of bits Of
burned clothing and pieces Of charred human
flesh. II was impossible TO get at this ear yes
terday. bur a gang Of men have been at work
upon ii to-day and will drag the depths for
buried bodies. 1t is thought by some that at
least twenty if not more corpses will be taken
out from this charnel pool. So far as is known
not a soul escaped from this car, and 1t is
considered possible that there may be as
many as forty bodies underneath the debris
sunk IN the pool. At present nothing can be
seen but harmed trucks, one set turned in
one direction and the other ia another. In
the other three cars mixed up with the de-
bris, uorecognizable masses Of human flesh
could be seen. The work of removing the
charred corpses from the ruins was begun at
2 30 O'Clock Saturday afternoon upon the ar
rival Of Governor Pipgree and members OF
the Termont railroad commission. Engineer
Pierce, as most Of the passengers think, Is
OF The belief that IL was caused by a broken
rail about twenty-five rods from the bridge.
Others are Of the opinion that the accident
was due to a broken journal on the Pullman
car Puritan. This was the last car on the
train, but IT was known TO have been the first
car to leave the track, and IL was argued that
a broken rail would have thrown the
first car instead of the last.
This point, however, may never be
settled. The official inspectors next visited
the blackened wreck on the ice. Picking
their way carefully among the debris Of the
Puritan they discovered the remains Of no
fewer than six persons, which they could pick
out sometimes by their distinct resemblance
TO human forms, and sometimes by seeing
fragments of thigh bones, ribs and heads.
An undertaken OF Hartford accompanied The
party. He and his men picked out the re.
mains as fast as possible aud put each body
separately in a box. These charIed bodies
were SO thoroughly blrncd that it was impos-
sihle TO even tell their sex In some instances.
some made scarcely a handful. They picked
up tiCac UGutcS, or fdthtf WHAT remained OF
them, and went 10 the next burned car. the
Pullman, st. Adams, which came from
Springfield. In this car they could
only make out three bodies. I'm
doubtedly they were thrown ont.
They were reduced 10 such a state that they
could scarcely be disccrnod from the rest of
the debris. No doubt the bodies OF many
persons were totally consumed. These bodies
were, like the rest, tenderly placed In boxes
and left on the ice waiting removal TO the
dead house. From there the party started for
the third car from the rear, or the day coach,
but this was entirely submerged. They could
make no Investigation further. The rear or
the last remaining one was next visited.
Here was presented the most horrifying sight
OF all. No less than twelve bundles of burn
ed flesh, charred out of all human shape,
were found in the rear end OF what had been
the ear. Six bodies were found all punched
together. These passengers had either hud-
died around the stove TO keep warm, as the
night was very cold, or else they had tried to
make their escape from the rear door and
could not get out.